Method of installing a bed of filter material around a well point



Sept. 15, 1936. 2,054,748 METHOD OF INSTALLING A BED o'F FILT ER MATERIAL AROUND A WE POINT T. GRIFFIN- Filed ec". 6 1934 INVENTOR Patented Sept. 15, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

METHOD OF INSTALLING A BED OF FILTER MATERIAL AROUND A WELL POINT Timothy '6. Griffin, Yonkers, N. Y. Application December 6, 1934, Serial No. 150,347

1 Claim. The invention has relation to a methodof installing a charge or bed of filter material around a well point or around a well point and its riser pipe in ground being drained, having for an object to facilitate the access of water in water-containing soil to the well point, so that thelatter is enabled to operate at all times at full capacity and connected to the riser pipe 2, and in dotted and dot and dash lines as connected to the pipes 6.

. Figure '2 is a detail cross sectional view of a well point located in the ground and having a space opened around it.

, Figure 3 is a similar view showing the surrounding pipes also having spaces opened around the same. I

Figure 4 is a similar view with filter bed installed, and the surrounding pipes removed.

In this drawing, the numeral I designatesa well point of the self-jetting type, adapted to jet the soil by water under pressure to thereby become gradually sunk in the ground.

Such a well point is shown in my pending appli-- cation for Patent Serial Number 746,591, filed October 2, 1934, a riser pipe 2 being connected thereto and comprising one or more sections as, required to extend to the surface of the ground.

The lower head of the well point is provided with a nozzle 3, which may be of the single jetting stream type, or the drive and jet nozzle of my pending application for Patent Serial Number 709,217, filed January 31, 1934.

' In sinking or driving the .well point into the ground, aportion of the water used in the jetting operation passes outwardly through the perforations of the outer tubular screen 4 to lubricate the well point during its downward passage in the ground and to clear the perforations of said screen of any accumulations of solid matter, said water passing upwardly in whole or in part around the well point and its riser pipe to the surface of the ground, thereby loosening the soil around the well point and opening a space 5 around the well point and its riser pipe.

fill said enlargedspace with a charge or bed of filter material, a pipe 8, is driven in the ground adjacent and parallel to the well point and its riser pipe, said pipe 6 having a lower nozzle which may be of the single jetting stream type or the .drlve and jet nozzle of mysaid application for patent, as may be required, the water being jetted under pressure as in the case of the well point itself.

In drivingthrough hard pan, gravel, or other hard subsoil suitable means is used such as repeated taps of a hammer delivered upon the top of the well point, the riser pipe, or the pipe 6 as the case may be.

I In driving or sinking the pipe 6 in the ground, the water used in the jetting operation passes upwardly in whole or'in part around said pipe to the surface of the ground, thereby loosening the soil around said' pipe and opening a space I around said pipe, which space is in communication with the space 5 around the well point or around the well point and its riser pipe. I

The jetting hose or pipe 8, supplying the pipe-6 with water under pressure may be connected with a sand or gravel placer, comprising a tank ID for the sand or gravel or both; a pipe H to a pressure water line with which said tank communicates at its lower end, said pipe having aby-pass l5 to the top of said tank, said by-pass having connection at i6 withv the air line to a compressor (not shown); and suitable valve controls, whereby water or air under pressure may be blown down the pipe 6, either directly, or indirectly through the tank ill. I

The charge of sand or gravel is blown down the pipe 6 by'fiuid under pressure, first into the space 1, around pipe 6, and therefrom into the (space 5 around the well point or around the well point and its riser pipe, the pipe 6 being gradually withdrawn to the surface of the ground as the filter charge is placed and resulting in, the gradual fill-- ing of the spaces 1 and 5 and of the space initially occupied by the pipe 6, with the aforesaid charge.

In practice a single pipe 6 is driven or sunk in the ground a sufficient number of times around the well point to open a plurality of spaces 1 equally spaced from each other,-said spaces being in communication with each other or being spaced apart by soil partitions l2, depending upon the'proximity of the openings 1 to each other, that is to say upon the number of openings 1. On the other hand a plurality of pipes 6 may be driven or sunk in the ground as shown in Figures 1 and 3.

In the gradualfllling of the spaces 1 around the pipe 6, successively driven or sunk in the ground as stated, and the space initially occupied by said pipe, and the space 5 around the well point with the charge or charges of filter material, any loose soil remaining in the spaces 1 and 5 and any soil partitions I2 between spaces I, will not interfere, said partitions if any being broken down during such operation, and resulting in the installation'of a substantially homogeneous filter bed ll immediately around the well point and its riser pipe and of much greater area cross sectionally than that of the well point. a.

I claim:-

A method of installing filter material around a 15 well point and its riser pipe, comprising first jetting a well point downwardly to water containing soil and thereby opening a space surrounding the well point and said riser pipe to the surface of the ground; second jetting another pipe downwardly to open another space in the ground adjacent andv said first named space surrounding the well pointand its riser pipe to completely fill both spaces to the surface of the ground.

TIMOTHY G. GRIFFIN. 

